Rugby World Cup: And the Winner is...

[finbar]

I was watching an old World Cup match on Sky Italy the other night. The All Blacks' alternate strip against France was all white. Very simple, very effective. Couldn't agree more that design wankers are ruling the rugby roost.

But what we might be missing is that there may not be a TV audience in Argentina - and if there is not no broadcast company will particularly want them in any competition?

Dunno anything about the Argie viewing audience but the Australian audience for rugby is limited anyway. Relative to L***** and AFL. That's why the Australian Free To Air networks with the FTA rights treat their audience with contempt with very late-night screenings. It's also why SANZAR need Murdoch. He's the only source of sizeable able funding. At least England, with its much bigger potential audiences, benefits from competition between the BBC and Sky. The ABC, Australia's BBC, thanks to ongoing federal government budget cuts, can't afford to cover any more than Sydney club rugby.

The bottom line is that neither tournament currently seems particularly interested in having the Pumas join for whatever reason. That would become ridiculous if they actually go and win this RWC of course.

Bottom line: they're sh*t scared of the Argies' potential.

EDIT. Sorry to see Dougie Howlett miss out this weekend. They've gone for wing power. Big test of K. Robinson's fitness. Not surprised to see M. Muliaina back at #13. C. Smith didn't do enough with his opportunities. His run of injuries seems to have thwarted his potential.

[Andydog]

Definitely tough on Doug. He has been the form winger without doubt. But all our winger's strengths are different, and it is now horses for courses, rather than rotation. Doug would be my first winger picked to play against a guy like Habana, but the French seem to struggle when the big chaps run at them.

Robbo's inclusion wasn't much of a surprise. Probably Williams was discussed but it may be more about the workload of the locks and getting the most out of them at this point in the cup. Robbo is our best lineout guy so it may be a bit of insurance if the french attack us here. Also, Robbo would be able to combat any niggle that the french bring to the table.

My biggest worry in Henry's selection is McAlister.

[finbar]

Ditto.

[Havak]

That must have been good beer Andydog as you lost a week somewhere. England played Tonga last weekend not Samoa.

[LDiCesare]

France managed to name yet another surprising selection.
Traille at full back ( why on earth did Laporte pick Poitrenaud as the only fullback to play him only for minor matches? ). He played that at Pau, and sometimes at his current club (Biarritz Olympique), and should be good there. Laporte put him here because of his strong kick.
Beauxis at 10. Strong kick, we said.
This means Jauzion and Marty will play centre. I don't think they often played together. Maybe during the 6 Nations, but I'm not sure.
And then Nallet is not playing but Pelous is, which many French supporters, myself included, find silly. Give me Nallet any time.
Overall, I still like the back line, although Dominici as replacement rather than Rougerie looks like a weird gamble.
And of course Michalak covers both 9 and 10 on the bench, which may be a problem if Elissalde and Beauxis both get hurt (we'd probably have Traille at 10 and Poitrenaud at 15 should this happen).

[Havak]

He is probably looking for Pelous's big game experience?

And it isn't as insane as Brian Ashton's selection. Regan and Vickery start meaning Brian must think wiining the tight five battle is a foregone conclusion so he doesn't need to try too hard?

I don't understand it - the Wallabies main weakness is in pressuring their tight five at the set pieces and Chuter and Stevens have done nothing wrong so far in those areas. Regan/Vickery have done very little right - what kind of ******* moron drops the better players to the bench in a QF??

Regan has not featured since the Bok game - even on the bench. Where the hell is the logic in now starting him? I just don't get it .

The selection of Farrell was more obvious and just reflects a lack of options. Dayglo on the bench similarly inevitable after his latest round of self promotion this week.

[finbar]

I should think the Wallabies will be tickled not to be facing M. Stevens or G. Chuter. I don't know what either of them has done wrong. Chuter, despite the facial fungus, is a menace in the loose. I think they'll be tickled to be facing A. Farrell, although they'd've been equally tickled to have faced O. Barkley. Neither is up to it. I can see - hopefully - M. Giteau running rings around Farrell. It's one thing to tackle well, it's another thing to catch someone in order to tackle them. I can see S. Mortlock carrying M. Tait along on his back on some of his rampages. L. Moody aside, the Wallaby back row should leave the England lot behind in terms of mobility.

But we shall see.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Andydog
I didn't see any rugby this weekend, popped over to Munich instead to sample the Paulaaner and Augustina lagers. Sounds like I timed the trip right - the match reports of the England Samoa game read as if there was only about 20 minutes worth of laughing to be had at the Poms.

Anyway, I see NZ lost the toss. Once again we wear grey, and I have the ****s over this, big time. What is it with all these penis jersey designers trotting out their 'creations' for Canterbury, Adidas, Nike etc?? NZ should be all black or all white. Not grey, with splatterings of black, off-cuts of silver, and dashes of white bits. Someone needs to round up all these fashion designer gurus and give them a bloody good slapping. But then again, I suspect most of them would actually enjoy that.

The top qualifier should get to wear their normal strip if there is a clash, they should get something for topping their pool. The tickets say 'Winner Pool C v Runner up Pool D' normally the home team is listed first so they should get home change rooms and normal strip I reckon.

Agreed.

I don't think a second strip for France v NZ is necessary anyway...their normal strips are sufficiently different IMO.

[Havak]

We shall indeed, although I find it hard to fault any of that.

Then again I'm still in shock from the Aussies first pool game when Miles Harrison described Sharpe as "one of the best locks in world rugby today". He also described him and the former Bok he often plays alongside as one of the best combinations.

You know that isn't a bad French side that has been named. if they can hang on in the game and then release "SeaBass" on the ABs at around 50 mins who knows what might happen? I'm certainly looking forward to seeing Collins and Chabal clash if we get that chance.

Andydog doesn't need to worry about shirts - the NZRFU has already apparently lobbied the IRB after losing that particularly coin toss asking to be allowed to wear their main strip regardless of losing the toss.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Then again I'm still in shock from the Aussies first pool game when Miles Harrison described Sharpe as "one of the best locks in world rugby today". He also described him and the former Bok he often plays alongside as one of the best combinations.

After V. Matfield and his mate, probably not far wrong. Chris Jack is mighty, but he hasn't had a mate to match him.

I don't think a second strip for France v NZ is necessary anyway...their normal strips are sufficiently different IMO.

The French are mixing black with the blue for some unknown reason. But they're still sufficiently different.

Andydog doesn't need to worry about shirts - the NZRFU has already apparently lobbied the IRB after losing that particularly coin toss asking to be allowed to wear their main strip regardless of losing the toss.

Good thing too. In the days of B&W television, there would have been a problem. Not now.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by finbar
The French are mixing black with the blue for some unknown reason. But they're still sufficiently different.

Yup, so any confusion is their fault because they ditched their traditional white shorts.

Look at this picture from 2002...even a color-blind B/W TV watcher could tell them apart:

[LDiCesare]

I don't think a second strip for France v NZ is necessary anyway...their normal strips are sufficiently different IMO.

Except the French don't wear a normal strip but a dark blue one which is not as much bad taste as the English shirt, but remains ugly nonetheless.
Now, the second NZ strip is indeed an insult to the eyes. White would be way better than this patchwork.

The French team is probably about the best we can do with the selected players (except Nallet), but I don't think it will be enough.

The English selection is not surprising. Ashton doesn't have a record of selecting the right players, does he?

[LDiCesare]

they ditched their traditional white shorts.

Yes, and I miss the red socks, too.
No reason to play all blue in the first place. And it's not like the white shors get dirty faster, at that level they can afford a new pair of shorts for every game (while I've seen brownish gray shorts that used to be white worn by a few players at my level).

[Caligastia]

Agreed, and I miss loose-fitting collared jerseys.

[Havak]

The IRB are control freaks and seldom change their minds on anything. But if any Union can make them do so it is NZ I suspect. I await the teams running out with interest.


I think it is fair to say Ashton doesn't have a great track record of picking the right players. But his reasoning is astounding here - apparently Vickery and Regan are the best players to bully the Aussies in the scrum (i.e. better than the men they replace).

There is a simple answer to that: Wrong. He can't have seen the same England games that I have in this world cup.

With the shirt business there is a hidden factor. All unions now like to sell lots of replica kit. You don't shift change strips unless the team wears them occasionally. That is certainly the reason England wore the change strip against France in August (there was no clash of colours with the main strip) and I suspect even the NZ Union saw the Scotland game as a chance to hawk a few of those godawful patchwork jobs on unsuspecting Kiwis?

Our game has now been a true business for over a decade and with that come aspects we none of us may like.

I also prefer loose shirts made of heavyweight cotton and with real collars for example - ones that weren't colourfast, that faded with age and that were not redesigned every single year. Unfortunately that makes me a 'dinosaur' of sorts.